


Love is a Four Legged Word

by bulletproof_misery



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Bucky Barnes Gets a Hug, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Couch Cuddles, Crying, Dog Steve Rogers, Fluff, Panic Attacks, Service Dogs, golden retrievers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27158635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bulletproof_misery/pseuds/bulletproof_misery
Summary: Memories of Bucky's past haunt him, but his best pal Steve the golden retriever is always there to cheer him up!
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 13
Kudos: 5
Collections: Stucky Bingo 2020





	Love is a Four Legged Word

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this while I was having a tough day, so it's kind of sad in the beginning. Trigger warning, for panic attacks so be careful friends! ^-^ Otherwise, it's pretty much all fluff. Hope you enjoy, I sure had fun writing this one!

Nothing seemed to appeal to Bucky right now. He already tried reading, but his head was too fuzzy to concentrate on what was happening. When he tried painting his nails, his prosthetic arm wasn't connecting and kept shaking and making the polish go all over his fingers. Bucky ended up getting frustrated so now his pinky and ring finger were hot pink while the others remained bland. 

Dejected, he went through his list of things to do when his head got this way. Reading, no. Nails, no. Texting, no one answered. Memes, too upset to enjoy them. Nap, not tired. Foam roller, couldn’t find it. Thirsty, don’t like cold water right now. 

Buck felt empty right now, like there was a giant pit that needed to be filled. He craved for something, anything, that could satisfy the emotional and physical turmoil he was going through. The pains in his arm, or lack of, kept pulling him back to reality.

He pressed his hand up against the cold window and watched the slight drizzle hit the pavement outside. Normally he loved the rain, it would wash away the troubles of the previous day and give the outdoors a clean slate. Today however, it just seemed gloomy and sad.

The leaves blew in the wind with the red, yellows, and oranges mixed together creating a scene that reminded Bucky of a Bob Ross painting. They all seemed to blend together and blow in the wind without a care in the world. Sometimes he wanted to be a leaf on a cool fall day; to just cut all his ties with who he was before and float away and not look back. 

He picked up his phone to check if there were any new notifications. Like five minutes ago, there were none. He closed his eyes and sat up straight. That tell tale pang had started to settle in his stomach. All the nervous and uncertain energy felt like it was gnawing away at his insides. His hands started to shake ignoring his silent pleas for calm. Bucky tried to let out a deep breath but it came out shaky and shallow. His throat started to clench up and he balled up his fists. Frustrated, he hit at his metal arm and struggled to get it off. Stupid stupid stupid was all he could think. Get in control. Stop! You’re being dumb come on, come on! Don’t you understand! The pain his left arm wasn't even real! I just want to--

Bucky felt pressure on his leg all of a sudden. He opened his eyes and looked down.

“Oh,” he chuckled when he saw Steve, his big fluffy golden retriever who had just put his head on Bucky’s thigh. “Hey bud. Come here.” He sniffed patting the empty spot on the love seat next to him. Steve jumped up laying down tight across Bucky’s lap and looked at him with sad eyes. Steve licked Bucky’s flesh hand bringing the brunette back to the present. He kind of forgot about Steve for a while, which made him kind of embarrassed for being so wrapped up in his own head.

Now that he was feeling a bit more steady, he went to remove his prosthetic again which clicked off his shoulder. He set it on the ground and tossed an afgan over it. The thought of it made him want to start hypervenelating again. Buck took another deep breath in an attempt to ground himself before he laid down on the couch. Steve cuddled right up to him laying his head on Bucky’s shoulder. 

Even though Bucky sometimes forgot to feed Steve or he wasn’t always in the mood to play tug he still loved him. It hurt his little puppy heart to see Bucky so sad all the time and always tried his best to make him happy. 

Bucky slung his flesh arm around Steve and started to stroke his sleek gold fur. He buried his face in Steve’s fur and continued to let the tears run down his face. Steve had been the only constant in Bucky’s life ever since he got back from Afghanistan. He was there for Buck when no one else was. Through his break up with Natasha, the death of his mom, and all of isolation and depression that seemed to swallow him up these days. Steve was his weakness, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for that dog. It was really true, he thought, a dog really was a man’s best friend. 

Bucky and Steve laid there and cuddled for what seemed like hours, both of them happy to be in each other's company. Buck was happy for the calmness in the repetitiveness of petting Steve. He had managed to calm down and steady his brain a little more, finally feeling more grounded than he had all day. Giving the pup one last squeeze, he tried to sit up.

“Come on punk, let’s go for a walk,” He smiled down his best pal patting his head. Steve’s tail wagged and he bolted straight up and jumped off the couch. He let out a few excited barks and ran around in circles before following Bucky to the door. Still with only one arm, he shrugged on his fall jacket and latched Steve’s camouflage Marines leash to his matching collar. He locked the door and they were off! 

They walked down the bustling streets of Brooklyn. Steve pranced across the sidewalk, stopping to smell various things across the way. Buck breathed the fresh air in deeply and rolled his shoulders a couple of times. The air was crisp and refreshing in his lungs and the light wetness in the air was oddly comforting again. 

They finally reached their favorite park and sat down for a bit just watching the people. It was nice to see everyone going on with their own lives. Couples holding hands, parents with their kids, and friends gathering together. Bucky was a huge people person before his accident, always chatting and going to parties.  
Now, he got nervous even just picking the phone up. He still liked to be around them though, making the park a perfect place. Steve plopped down on top of Buck’s feet and panted with a huge grin across his face. 

“Puppy!” a little girl screamed, as she ran towards the pair. Bucky tensed up. He was not prepared for talking, he was feeling pretty stable but not that stable. He panicked, all his muscles tensed and he wasn't really sure what to do. Steve had stood up at this point looking at the small child running to him. Bucky quickly snaked his arm around Steve’s torso bringing him closer. 

“Morgan hun, come here,” A tall woman with fiery red hair called after the girl. “Remember what Daddy and I told you about puppies? You have to ask the owners first before petting them.” She shot Bucky an apologetic look.

“Sorry mom,” she huffed and looked up at Bucky with pleading eyes. “Can I please pet your puppy?”

Bucky was still a bit shook from the initial interaction. He took another deep breath in and cursed in his head. Why hadn’t he remembered to put Steve’s vest on when he left the house. He tucked a stray piece of hair that escaped his bun behind his ear and tried his best to give the girl a smile.

“Sure! Stevie here loves people, he really likes it when you pet behind his ears too,” he advised, rubbing his hands across his jeans in an attempt to stop them from shaking. He watched Steve wag his tail and bark happily at Morgan, excited to meet a new person.

“Sorry about that, Morgan just gets so excited around dogs,” The tall woman answered. “I’m Pepper,” she smiled, extending her hand out to Bucky. He extended his arm out to her, leash still around his wrist. 

“I’m Bucky, and it’s all good.” He assured her pretending like he wasn't dying on the inside. She had a firm handshake that was strangely comforting as well. Bucky tossed a tennis ball he had in his pocket to Morgan.

“We would totally get one if my husband wasn’t allergic,” she confessed, admiring Steve and Morgan who were involved in an intense game of fetch. 

“Stevie’s great, I’ve had him for about three years. He’s my service dog actually, just forgot to put his vest on.” Why he felt the need to tell her, he didn’t know but it felt nice to share anyway. “That’s too bad though dogs are a great addition to the family,”

Morgan threw the ball into a pile of leaves sending Steve to rush after it and roll around in them making the leaves splash out all over the place.

“Oh trust me, Tony wants a dog too and I probably wouldn't be surprised if we came home one day and he had one,” she chuckled watching them play. Steve came barreling back to Morgan and almost knocked her over because he was so excited for her to throw it back. 

“Steve! Heel!” Bucky exclaimed motioning for the pup to come back. Steve trotted back jumping up and putting his paws on Bucky’s lap, giving him a lopsided grin. Morgan came rushing back as well, intrigued by the pink on the man’s nails. 

“I like your pink! It matches mine!” She giggled, flashing her nails at him. Bucky blushed and gave her a small smile. 

“Thank you, your’s is quite nice too doll,” Bucky laughed at her. Steve gave out a happy bark at the two of them. He was just so happy to see Bucky laughing! Steve ran around in circles and the three of them laughed at the pup. 

“Alright Morgan, we better be heading home before Dad starts to worry,” she said, putting her arms around the girl and then looking over at Bucky. “It was nice meeting you Buck, you too Steve.” She smiled, patting the pup on the head. 

“Take care!” he called waving at them. Bucky had a comfortable grin on his face as he continued to pet Steve. The pup jumped up onto the bench and licked Buck’s face with a huge sloppy grin. Maybe rainy days weren't that bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Love is a Four Legged Word  
> Creator(s): bulletproof_misery  
> Card number: 51  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27158635  
> Square filled: B1 Weakness  
> Rating: General Audiences  
> Archive warnings: N/A  
> Major tags: Panic attacks, Service dogs, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, fluff  
> Summary: Memories of Bucky's past haunt him, but his best pal Steve the golden retriever is always there to cheer him up!  
> Word count: 1,714


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